Black & White X-pattern Nails ✖️

Happy Tuesday lovelies! Anyone else currently attempting to survive the heat? Thank goodness for air conditioning because I haven’t really had to deal with the humidity much. Never thought I would be happy to spend 95% of my day at work, but if it keeps me from being sweaty I’m all for it!

Today I’ve got the day off though, & I’m showing off a fun design I wore for 3 days last week. You know I’m in love with a design when I wear it for more than a day, & I really loved this look! Seriously, I probably would have worn it longer, but my nails started chipping at work & I couldn’t deal.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: OPI Nail Envy
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Sally Hansen CSM Let’s Snow
  • Essie Frock ‘N Roll
  • Xroma Polish & Vinyls X-Pattern Nail Stencils
  • Make Up Sponge

How cute is this look?! This was the last of my x-pattern vinyls, so I’m definitely going to need to pick up some more ASAP. I’ve tried to freehand this look before but it looks way better when it’s done with vinyls (oh, & takes WAY less time too!) Also even though Essie Frock ‘N Roll isn’t technically a black polish, it looks close enough & works so perfectly over my white base. I love wearing black & white nail designs & pairing them with a bright & colourful outfit.

So what do you think about this black & white design? What are you wearing on your nails this week? Share down below! ♥️

SWATCH SUNDAY — China Glaze Seas the Day

Good Morning Lovelies & Happy Sunday. Today I’m sharing another red polish because I’ve recently been LOVING wearing red polish!

Today’s red shade of choice is China Glaze Seas the Day which is from the Summer 2014 Off Shore collection. This was the first full nail polish collection I ever purchased (thank you Winners clearance section) & even 4 years later I’m still loving these shades.

Seas the Day is a vibrant cherry red polish that applied well in 2 coats (+ top coat.) Like most reds, I find you can still see a hint of nail line, but the application was smooth & covered well. The pink undertones means that this shade leans different in different light–sometimes it looks more pink, sometimes it looks more coral. It reminds me a bit of Revlon Cherries in the Snow although that polish seems to lean more pink than Seas the Day. & now I’m wishing I had thought to do an official comparison between the two!

As I’ve mentioned before, red polish is one of my favourites. I’ve managed to accumulate quite the collection over the years thanks to literally only wearing red nail polish between 2003 – 2006. Even though my nail polish repertoire has increased since then (& love of nail art has grown!) my heart still swells for a good red polish. & this is a beautiful red! ♥️

Do you have a favourite red polish? Do you have a nail polish colour that you used to wear religiously? Let me know down below which colour you love the best! & let me know what shades you’d love to see me feature on here for Swatch Sunday!

Negative Space Red Chevron Moons

Good Morning & Happy Wednesday! We’re already half way through our week–how crazy is that. We’re also one week away from August… even crazier. This Summer is certainly rocketing by! I’m already feeling that familiar draw towards dark polish, pumpkin spice & cosy knits that starts happening around this time of year.

But not yet… we still have a bit of Summer left so bring on the bright polishes!

Today’s design was brought on by wanting to wear red nails, but more than just a solid colour. It wasn’t intentional, but these totally ended up reminding me of Bring It On! Does anyone else remember that movie. I was so obsessed with it when it first came out… & now I totally need to rewatch it again.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: OPI Nail Envy
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • L’Oréal Magic Top Coats —The Shift Me
  • Essie 5th Avenue
  • Kiss Products Nail Art Striper in Black
  • Snail Vinyls small single chevrons (so sad the shop is closing!)

I love red nail polish, but I find it the hardest colour to do nail art over simply because it seems to be a colour I turn to during holidays (Christmas, Canada Day, ect) but it is by far one of my all time favourite polish colours. I seriously love how these turned out, even if they totally remind me of cheerleader uniforms. Also I’m pretty sure this red is my new favourite red polish — I’ve been wearing it a lot lately, especially as a pedicure.

What do you think of this design? Let me know in the comments below! & let me know what your favourite 2000s teen movie is!

Rainbow 🌈 Nails

Good Morning Lovelies & Happy Monday. Today I have a special manicure to share with you in honour of it being Pride Week in Halifax right now — some rainbow nails. This past weekend, I went out to celebrate & attended my very first Drag Show ever! So in honour of that, I wanted to create a design bright & colourful, & with a touch of glitter.

For this design, the polishes used were:

  • Base Coat: OPI Nail Envy
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Sally Hansen CSM Let’s Snow
  • Sally Hansen MG Just Maui’d
  • Sally Hansen MG Bourbon Belle
  • Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mellow Yellow
  • Essie First Timer
  • Quo by ORLY Pep in Your Step
  • China Glaze Fairy Dust
  • Latex Free Make Up Sponge
  • Wet n Wild Clear Polish
  • This design was super simple to create. I started off with a plain white base (my current favourite White polish!) & then sponged each colour over top of the white. Next I took a clear nail polish that would streak the colours together & repeatedly brushed over the nail so they blended. This is a trick I like to use with gradients, sponged looks & dry brushes because it blends them together really well (especially good with gradients!) & then I finish with actual top coat after. I also felt like this design needed a little bit of glitter, so I added some fairy dust as well.

    I really love this combination of colours & the rainbow-ness of it. It was the perfect design for the awesome night I had out dancing! I’m very proud to live in a city which can celebrate Pride with such festivity & inclusivity. There really is an event for everyone!

    What do you think of my rainbow nails? 🌈 Have you ever attended a drag show before? Share you comments down below & let me know what you think!

    SWATCH SUNDAY — Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Let’s Snow

    Good Morning Lovelies! It’s Sunday, so you know what that means… it’s Swatch Sunday! & today I’m sharing one of my favourite white polishes at the moment: Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Let’s Snow.

    I picked up this polish at my local Lawton’s (another clearance find) for the amazing price of only 99 cents! I thought maybe that meant it was a discontinued polish because of the amazing price, but you can still find it on Amazon & Sally Hansen so I’m not 100% sure. I think maybe I just got really lucky, which I’m happy about because I’m definitely going to need back up bottles of this shade in my stash.

    For today’s swatches, I used 2 coats + top coat. (Right now my top coat of choice is Essie Speed Setter.)

    I find white polish can be tricky, because it can come off looking streaky or chalky. Let’s Snow definitely needs two coats for opacity & adding top coat just levels it perfectly. Before top coat, I found if slightly streaky. A third coat of could have fixed that out, but I figured top coat would be an easier option & it was.

    Also the brushes on the Complete Salon Manicure bottles are love. Seriously. I need every bottle of nail polish to apply so easily & perfectly.

    Let’s Snow is definitely a true white, with no other undertones. I would call it a paper white, which is probably why it’s my current favourite go-to white for nail art–it’s the perfect black canvas. But I also like the fact it’s a very wearable white! You can use it for creating beautiful nail art, or you can just wear it on its own. From my own personable experience, that is a fine line to achieve. So when I find a white that does both, I automatically fall in love with it. Hence my current obsession with this shade!

    If you’re looking for a great white in your life, I definitely recommend searching out this Sally Hansen shade & adding it to your stash. The formula is easy to apply, the brush is perfection, & this is a white that isn’t going to be chalky or streaky once applied. I definitely do recommend adding top coat though, just because it leads to a more perfect finish.

    So what’s your favourite white nail polish? Do you prefer white polish on its own or as a base for nail art? Let me know what your favourite is down in the comments below!